Combined tie clasp and pencil



July 7, 1942- l.. E. BAER 2,288,878

COMBINED TIE CLASP AND PENCIL Filed Nov. l, 1940 INVENTOR. Law/efe ce @5a/ef A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 7, 1942 COMBINED TIE CLASP AND PENCIL Lawrence E. Baer, Attleboro, Mass., assigner to Swank, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application November 1, 1940, Serial No. 363,887

1 Claim.

I-Ihis invention relates to a tie clasp of the type for holding a cravat against the shirt of the wearer and also holding some additional article of utility such, for instance, as a pencil.

This invention has for one of its objects to provide for removably mounting some article of utility such, for instance, as a pencil upon a tie clip by moving the pencil or other article sideways into engaged relation with the clasp Whereby the pencil or other article may be assembled with the clasp by pressure against the clasp.

Another object of this invention is to expose the ornamental surface of a pencil or other article throughout substantially its entire length by clasping the pencil or other article along a minimum portion of its extent.

Another object of this invention is to reduce the amount of metal stock on the clasp used for mounting the pencil or other article in position on the tie clasp.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a plan View of the tie clasp and pencil complete, looking from the top thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on substantially line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. i is a section on substantially line l--d of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the pencil as engaging one of the holding elements and spaced from another of the holding elements mounted upon the tie clasp Fig. 6 is a top plan View simil-ar to Fig. l of a modied form of tie clasp for holding the pencil in position; and

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of the modiiied structure shown in Fig. 6.

In the use of a tie clasp with a pencil associated therewith, such as shown in the patent application of Samuel Sampson, Serial No. 357,857, iiled September 23, 1940, with which I am familiar, the removable instrument or pencil is inserted into a tube endwise. The handling of a pencil in this manner frequently requires two hands of the wearer for the manipulation thereof, Further, a large part of the pencil is hidden from view and any ornamental surface which may be on the pencil is obscured when the pencil is mounted in position on the clasp; and in order that a pencil or other instrument may be secured on the clasp with one hand pressing the same against the clasp which is backed up b y the body of the wearer and also at the same time to expose an ornamental surface of the pencil to View, I have provided a pair of holding elements spaced along the front jaw of the tie clasp, which holding elements will receive and hold the pencil or other instrument removably in position. These holding elements may be variously formed, I having shown in this application two different forms which may be utilized to accomplish these desired results; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this nvention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing I provide a U- shaped member forming a pair of connected jaws, Ill designates the front jaw which is of a iiat bar formation of a width to provide an attractive appearance when a pencil or other instrument II is removed therefrom. This jaw is bent rearwardly as at I2 to extend back along itself as at I3 and has coupled with this portion I3 a back jaw I4 which is oiset as at I5 to provide a portion I6 in line with the portion I3 and embraced and held in such alignment by sleeve I'I, while there is another portion IB which exten-ds parallel to the jaw IE! and in contact therewith when not positioned upon the tie and shirt to be gripped therebetween. The tie clasp thus far described is of a more or less conventional form and various forms of tie clasps may be utilized to advantage in this invention.

The instrument Which I have illustrated as being that which is to be mounted on or associated with the tie clasp is a mechanical pencil designated II. The pencil is of a cylindrical barrel form having a point end I9 and a cap 20 which may be more or less of conventional formation.

In order to hold the pencil in associated position with the tie clasp, I have provided a gripping element in the form of a socket 2I at the bight or connected end of the tie clasp in any convenient manner such, for instance, as by soldering the same to the front bar I. This cup will be of generally cylindrical formation and of a size to snugly receive the cap 20 of the pencil, although permitting free insertion and extraction of this end of the pencil therefrom. At another location on the bar Il] I provide a gripping element 22 which consists of a pair of spring fingers 23 which may be integral with the bar I0 or formed from a bridging portion 2li which is iixed to the jaw or bar I Il at a location spaced from the element 2| and adjacent the free end of the bar I0 and at a point near the point end of the pencil but along the barrel portion of the pencil. The grip will be suflicient to prevent endwise movement.

For assembly of the pencil with the clasp it is merely necessary to put the cap end 20 in the gripping element or socket 2l and then swing the point end of the pencil downwardly until it vis forced between spring fingers 23 which are of ian extent to pass beyond a diameter of the body pf ,the pencil and grip the same by spring action 'and thus securely hold the pencil assembled with the bar l0. A reverse movement may be utilized for detaching the pencil from the tie clasp or removal in a different manner may occur by the pencil being slid longitudinally of the bar I until its cap end 20 is removed from the socket gripping element 2| and then pulled sidewise from the clipping element 22 either parallel to the bar or either end ahead of the other.

As a modified arrangement I have shown in Figs. 6 and '7 a gripping element 22 which will be the same in all respects as that described above but in this case I have provided the additional gripping element 25 which will be a substantial duplicate of the gripping element 22 and have utilized the gripping elements 22 and 25 instead of the gripping elements 22 and 2|. Of

course, in this modied form, the pencil may be moved laterally into both gripping elements at the same time and withdrawn by pulling the pencil away from the bar I0 while its axis remains parallel to the bar; or one end or the other may be swung away from the bar by swinging the pencil to and through the position indicated in Fig. 5; or the endwise disengagement of the pencil from the clip might be utilized if desired as before set forth.

I claim:

A tie clasp comprising a U-shaped member forming a pair of jaws resiliently urged toward each other to grip and hold a tie against the shirt, one of said jaws being provided at spaced locations with a pair of gripping elements to removably grip and hold an instrument in position thereon, one of said elements being located adjacent the free end of the jaw and comprising a pair of spring fingers to partially embrace the instrument and the other of saidelements being located adjacent the connected end of said jaw comprising a socket to receive the end of the instrument.

LAWRENCE E. BAER. 

